TWO-GAME ROAD SWING BEGINS THURSDAY
Wisconsin takes to the road this week for a pair of games at Ohio State on Thursday and at Michigan State on Sunday.

The first-place Badgers are 8-4 away from home this season.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WISCONSIN
WINS PILING UP: At 22-5, Wisconsin has equaled the 4th-best 27-game start in school history. Wisconsin has won at least 22 of its first 27 games for the 5th time in the last 11 seasons.
GARD IN CHARGE: Greg Gard is 37-13 as head coach. Only HOFer Doc Meanwell had a better 50-game record at UW (49-1, 1911-14).
KINGS OF THE ROAD: Over the last 4 seasons, UW is 54-20 (.730) in road/neutral games, owning the 4th-best win pct. in college hoops.
ALL-AMERICAN HAPP: Ethan Happ is doing it all for UW during Big Ten play, leading the team in points (16.4), rebounds (8.5), assists (3.0), blocks (1.5) and steals (2.6). Happ is the only player in the nation leading his team in all 5 categories during conference play.
WINNING SEASON: Over the last 4 seasons, UW is 34-10 (.773) in Feb./March regular season games.
CONSISTENCY MODEL: UW has reached 20 wins for the 11th-straight season (longest streak in B1G) and clinched a winning record in B1G play for the 17th-consecutive season.
OT IS "OUR TIME": UW has won 8 consecutive overtime games. Of those 8, only 1 came at home.
HAYES PRAISE: A Senior CLASS Award finalist, Nigel Hayes is one of the most versatile players in Big Ten history. With 1,707 points, 720 rebounds and 295 assists, he is 1 of just 3 players in Big Ten history to reach those marks (pg 6). He is the nation's only active player with 1,700p, 700r and 250a.
OWNING THE GLASS: The Badgers are 6th in the nation with a +8.4 rebounding margin.
RECORD IN SIGHT: Senior Bronson Koenig has hit 232 career 3-pointers and is just 3 away from equaling Ben Brust for the school's all-time record. He is shooting 40.8% from deep in B1G play.
FRESH FACE: D'Mitrik Trice has started the last 2 games for UW, becoming just the 5th true freshman to start at UW since 2000. In 2 starts, he has averaged 8.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 2.5 apg in 27.0 mpg.
OWN THE PAINT: The Badgers have scored 282 more points in the paint than their opponents, a margin of +10.5 ppg (32.7 to 22.2). UW has only been out-scored in the paint on 4 occasions.
WISCONSIN RECIPE: The Badgers simply don't beat themselves. UW ranks 4th in the NCAA in scoring defense (60.5 ppg), 15th in fewest fouls per game and 27th in fewest turnovers per game..

STELLAR START
With a record of 22-5, the Badgers have equaled the fourth-best 27-game start in school history.
- Wisconsin has won at least 22 of its first 27 games for the fifth time in the last 11 seasons.
- This season, Wisconsin has had separate win streaks of 8 and 9 games. The Badgers have enjoyed a winning streak of at least 9 games in 3 of the last 4 seasons.

ALL-TIME VS. OHIO STATE
Thursday's game will be the 157th meeting between Wisconsin and Ohio State in a series beginning in 1905. OSU leads the all-time series, 86-70, including a 54-23 edge in Columbus.
- Wisconsin has won three straight against Ohio State, but the overall series has been very even over the last decade (UW leads, 9-7, since 2008).
- The Badgers have won three straight over the Buckeyes, including an 89-66 win on Jan. 12. In 2015, UW claimed a 72-48 win in Columbus, which was OSU's most lopsided Big Ten loss at Value City Arena. Last year, the Badgers posted a 79-68 win over the Buckeyes at the Kohl Center.
- UW is 14-10 (.583) against Thad Matta-led OSU teams, owning the best win percentage against Matta's Buckeyes of any Big Ten team.
- Wisconsin has held Ohio State under 70 points in 21 of 24 meetings since Matta took over. The Buckeyes are averaging just 60.3 ppg against the Badgers over that 24-game span.
- Including Thursday's contest, at least one of the teams have been ranked in 22 of the last 24 meetings (dating back to 2005).

LAST TIME OUT
#11 Wisconsin 71, #23 Maryland 60
Feb. 19, 2017 | Kohl Center | Madison, Wis.

- UW trailed by 6 at the half, but erupted for a 44-point second half to claim a 71-60 win.
- The Badgers held the Terrapins to their lowest point total during Big Ten play and their second-lowest of the season.
- UW owned a 44-27 rebounding margin (18-5 on the offensive glass). The Badgers also recorded a season-high 37 free throw attempts, going 21-for-37.
- The Badgers finished with 8 turnovers, but had just 1 in the second half.
- Ethan Happ scored 20 points to go with 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 5 steals and no turnovers. Nigel Hayes tallied his fourth double-double of the season with 21 points (9-14 FTs) and 10 rebounds.

2016-17 TEAM INFO
Starters Returning/Lost: 5/0
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 13/4

RETURNING FRONTCOURT STARTERS
- The Badgers welcome back 2016 first-team All-Big Ten selection Nigel Hayes, who averaged 15.7 ppg and 5.8 rpg while leading UW with 104 assists. The 2016-17 Blue Ribbon Magazine preseason National Player of the Year and preseason Big Ten Player of the Year, Hayes joins Michael Finley as the only Badgers to tally at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 assists by their junior season. If he just matches his junior year totals he would finish 3rd in school history in points (1,340 entering 2016-17), 7th in rebounds (557 entering 2016-17) and 7th in career assists (219 entering 2016-17).
- Sophomore Ethan Happ looks to build off his 2016 Big Ten Freshman of the Year campaign during which he averaged 12.4 ppg, ranked 6th in the Big Ten with 7.9 rpg and became the first freshman to lead the Big Ten in steals (63 steals) since OSU's Aaron Craft (2010). Happ became just the third NCAA freshman over the last 15 seasons to score 400 points, while recording 60 steals and 30 blocks (also Kevin Durant and DuJuan Blair).
- Senior Vitto Brown finished 4th on the team in scoring, averaing 9.7 ppg with 5.0 rpg. He enjoyed the third-largest scoring increase in the Big Ten a year ago, going from 1.8 ppg to 9.7 ppg in 2015-16. Brown did not attempt a 3-pointer in his first two seasons at UW, but led the team last year, shooting 40% (38-95) from deep.

RETURNING BACKCOURT STARTERS
- Third-team All-Big Ten junior Bronson Koenig returns as the team's lead guard after averaging 13.1 ppg and shooting 39.0% (83-213) from 3-point range. The moniker "Klutch Koenig" was born in 2015-16 after his game-winning shots against VCU and Xavier. In fact, over the final 5:00 and overtime of games last season, Koenig shot 54.8% (17-for-31) from 3-point range. Koenig needs just 71 points and 27 assists to become the 14th player in UW history with at least 1,000 points and 250 assists.
- Senior guard Zak Showalter made just four 3-pointers in his first two seasons, but knocked down 35 percent (37-107) from long range as a junior. Showalter averaged 7.5 ppg and 3.8 rpg while ranking third on UW with 36 steals.
- The Badgers also return key reserves Jordan Hill (junior guard - 15.6 mpg), Khalil Iverson (soph. guard - 13.0 mpg), Alex Illikainen (soph. forward - 9.8 mpg) and Charles Thomas, IV (soph. forward - 9.1 mpg). Wisconsin will also regain the services of redshirt freshman guard Brevin Pritzl, who missed all but one game of his freshman year with a foot injury and sophomore forward Andy Van Vliet, who was forced to sit out the 2015-16 season after the NCAA ruled him ineligible for not enrolling in college within a year of high school graduation. 
- Wisconsin will also welcome a three-man freshman class that features guard D'Mitrik Trice (6-0, Huber Heights, Ohio), forward Aleem Ford (6-8, Lawrenceville, Ga.) and walk-on guard Michael Ballard (6-4, Oak Park, Ill.)